UW startup makes affordable custom fashions for all shapes and sizes

A fashion revolution is being launched from a University of Washington dorm room, and it's making small, medium, and large sizes obsolete.

Author:
Anne Erickson, Michael King

Published:
7:44 PM PDT October 11, 2017

A fashion revolution is being launched from a University of Washington dorm room, and it's making small, medium, and large sizes obsolete.

21-year-old UW senior Abhishek Bajaj started Samshék because he knew the next clothing trend wasn't coming from the runway.

"Technology is the next big thing for the fashion industry," he said.

Samshék sprang from the realization that the fashion industry has not kept up with the tech boom. The name is a mashup of his name and his sister's, Samiksha Bajaj, who also is a co-founder of the startup.

"If we bring in technology, and we make the process faster, and we deliver that with high quality, then we have the next big thing," Abhishek said.

That next big thing is replacing tape measures and scissors with artificial intelligence and automation. Samshék makes women's fashions that fit any shape or size perfectly: complete customization.

Customers enter four measurements when they order -- and can alter anything from neckline to sleeve length online.

Dresses average $80 -- tops are under $50 -- and orders are delivered within five days.

"It's affordable luxury clothing," Abhishek said.

Tech also makes this Seattle startup a global company: Their designer is in Italy, their clothes are made in India, and their customer base is worldwide. Abhishek also takes pride in the fact that their manufacturing plant in his native India employs mostly women and pays them a fair living wage.

Taking the idea from concept to reality involved a lot of 3 a.m. Skype sessions and 115-hour work weeks, but Abhishek says there's an additional secret to his company's success.

"With a good team you can do anything," he said. "You can do wonders."

The logo is a golden unicorn that represents individuality, immediacy, and innovation: Samshék's guiding principles.

But to customers, that unicorn means something else: finding that elusive perfect fit.